Winning Population Fight To Help City Get Grants

LAUDERHILL - — A much sought after gift from the U.S. Bureau of the Census has added 1,342 new residents to the city, which could put more cash in city coffers.

The bump upward pushed the city population to 50,689 and opens the door for more federal dollars for a range of projects to improve neighborhoods and business districts.

The city challenged the census bureau's numbers and in November won the right to claim its 1992 updated population at 50,689, up from 49,347.

The reason for the fight? Cities with at least 50,000 residents can apply directly for federal Community Development Block Grant funds - one of the main sources of federal money for cities.

Cities with populations smaller than 50,000 must apply for grants through Broward County and the state, which typically means those cities get a smaller piece of the pie.

"This is great news for the city," said Mayor Ilene Lieberman, who has argued since 1990 that her city has had more than 50,000 residents. "We can get a larger percentage of these types of grant funds and plan more projects. There are many kinds of programs we can be eligible for now."

By applying directly to the federal government, the city may be entitled to $750,000 to $1 million dollars in Community Development Block Grant funds. The city has averaged between $150,000 and $200,000 in grant funds handed over by the county, Lieberman said.

Now officials must decide which grants to apply for and for what purpose.

Typically, cities use the dollars for parks, community centers, residential and commercial renovations. Generally, the money is used to benefit lowand middle-income residents and in some cases cities are required to match at least a portion of the money provided in the grant.

Lieberman hopes Lauderhill reaps the benefits of direct entitlements like the city of North Miami did.

That city averaged between $100,000 and $150,000 annually in grants through Dade County, said Anna Rijo-Conde, director of planning and development for North Miami. This year, the city received $799,000.

The amount of the grant depends on the city's planned projects and the availability of funds, Rijo-Conde said.

"Absolutely, it's a big benefit," she said. "The bigger grant allows us to implement a number of different projects we wouldn't have been able to before. We can work closer with our residents to get their input and set priorities on the type of projects they would like to see accomplished."